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[cajunator]

I think the Saints draft was really solid given their needs and the value of each pick.
Kenny Vaccaro isnt great in pass coverage but hes a solid tackler and rusher and thats more what we need since the Saints plan to blitz like fucking crazy. Also the lineman on both sides seem rather solid and fit our schemes well, and we got a slippery wide receiver similar to Lance Moore. Overall it was a great job by Loomis and Co considering that we lost a second rounder because of the bountygate bullshit.
Im very happy with it.

 

[squicken]

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/nfl--s...g-awaited-return-to-postseason-125312562.html

The Bills had conducted private workouts with five quarterbacks, and various reports linked them to Syracuse's Ryan Nassib, West Virginia's Geno Smith and USC's Matt Barkley. Nassib, who'd played for newly hired Bills coach Doug Marrone at the 'Cuse, was presumed to be the leading candidate.

Yet it was Manuel, a 6-foot-5, 237-pounder long on potential, who Brandon, Nix and Marrone agreed they had to have.

The Bills could have played it safe and taken Manuel eighth overall, but with the Rams eager to land West Virginia wideout Tavon Austin, an enticing gamble presented itself. Buffalo, which had only six picks heading into the draft, could pick up two additional selections by trading down with St. Louis.

Austin, according to a Rams source, was "at the top of [the Bills'] draft board, but they didn't want to take him. And they knew the Jets [picking ninth overall] wanted him. So, they could take their guy and risk facing [Austin] twice a year, or they could make the trade and get him out of the division."

The Bills did the deal, dropping down to 16 and sweating out the next eight selections.

"Buddy was comfortable that we could make the deal and still get what for us was the ultimate prize," Brandon said. "It's always a little bit nerve-wracking in those situations. You can do all the recon you want, but as you know, everybody's lying to everybody anyway this time of year."

---

With a league-high 13-year postseason drought (dating back to the infamous Music City Miracle), the Bills understandably provoke a healthy share of skepticism from fans and media analysts alike. For what it's worth, their CEO is convinced his franchise took some big steps toward respectability these past few days.

"We're thrilled with the way it worked out," Brandon said, and for the first time in awhile, he seemed to be telling the truth.

"I met [new general manager] Tom Telesco and [rookie head coach] Mike McCoy at the [NFL scouting] combine, and they asked me to come back and play," Tomlinson said. "I saw [executive vice president] John Spanos at a restaurant in Indy, and he introduced me to them, and they brought it up. At first I thought they weren't really serious, but they kept talking about it, and I realized it was real. They said, 'You can come back and carry it 10 or 12 times a game. We'd like to have you here.'

On paper, that sounds dubious, but those franchises are being run by new regimes that don't feel instant pressure to succeed and thus can wait a year to address their quarterback situations. And the "Biff For Bridgewater" drumbeat can now begin in earnest, with the Browns and Jags joining the Raiders and New York Jets among the early pack of favorites to get the first overall pick in 2014.

 

[Soroc]

Yes and that pick was a disaster, the Jets sucked and the GM got fired a year later.

If I remember correctly, that was Terry Bradways pick as he was the GM then. He wasn't fired but "reassigned" in the organization. Think he's now the head of scouting lol

 

[cashman]

I have no idea but Id like to hear some of the aftermath. You posted links before but I was on mobile and it wasnt connecting very well. Can you post links again?

I don't think I ever posted links but here is this little nugget that you might find amusing:

Sources confirm that Garrett appeared so upset last night at 18 because he wanted Sharrif Floyd. Overruled by Jerry & Stephen. #Cowboys

Also Shango is not pleased http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4scfJh9sqQ

 

[Tom Penny]

No offense to you, but lists like this are such horseshit. I would love for someone to go back and evaluate a teams draft choices after the average career length and grade them. Lists like that just make me laugh because there is no real basis of what is good or bad, just Kiper's "expert" opinion which is usually pretty far off.

How the players do in the NFL is overrated.

 

[squicken]

I had no idea his kid was an assistant at Rutgers. lulz

New England Patriots: Three Rutgers players, where Bill Belichick’s son is a coaching assistant, eh? It’s hard to escape the impression of the gentlemen enjoying the best cognac while the Titanic sinks. No other team would get the benefit of the doubt for a draft class like this than the Patriots.

http://miketanier.sportsonearthblog.com/draft-impressions-all-32-teams/

 

[cajunator]

I don't think I ever posted links but here is this little nugget that you might find amusing:



Also Shango is not pleased http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4scfJh9sqQ

I feel really bad for shango. I hate the Cowboys so much but I honestly love how dedicated and passionate Shango is for his Boys. I respect him so much. He so desperately wants them to return to greatness and he puts so much work into free agency and draft picks only for the Cowboys to do dumb shit. You can sense the resignation in his voice and how much he loves that team and pines for them to be great again. Nothing but respect, Shango.

 

[squicken]

Jerry wants Romo to work hard like Peyton

“If Tony, for instance, would be here Monday through Saturday . . . from seven in the morning to six o’clock at night all over this place then that’s better than the way it’s been,” Jones said. “We’ll have more success, and Jason believes that. It’s certainly at quarterback but he believes it at the other positions. Tony is going to have more time, more presence, not only in the offseason but when the season starts, beginning Monday, assuming we played Sundays. He’s going to have more time on the job. A part of what we agreed with was extra time on the job, beyond the norm.”

If he wasn't already doing that, why give him $18m/yr?

 

[Mackenzie 92]

I'm concerned over the Raiders QB situation. Who's the starter? Matt Flynn?

Anyway, Vernon is the type of player that will go across the middle, catch the ball, get blasted and still hold on for the 1st down. He will be a good fit depending on the system.

Yeah I would be very surprised if Wilson beat out Flynn. Dennis Allen is not the kind of coach who is gonna take a chance on a rookie. And well he hates Pryor, so Flynn it is for this year at least. Next year Wilson may step up. He has a lot of fans and the more I study him the more I like him.

I love Vernon, he makes play after play after play. He will get a ton of playing time, with a chance to start. Probably why he signed with us.

Kiper's Grades
Oakland Raiders B-

I don't put too much stock into next day grades, but I would probably give us at least a B+ maybe even A- I may just be in shock from having a great draft for the first time in over 20 years though that I'm being a little too generous. But we started out with 7 picks, no 2nd rounder and ended up with 10 picks, one of them a 2nd. So that right there is worth something.

I believe we got a pro-bowl corner in Hayden and a pro-bowl LB in Moore.

Sparano will get the best of out Melenik Watson and I think he may be a better RT prospect than DJ Fluker. Many teams had pretty high marks on him. Not sure he starts this year, but he is a smart and extremely athletic big man that is an excellent power run blocker.

Tyler Wilson is growing on me and he could end up being a great value in the middle 4th where we got him and could someday be a starter with a supporting cast. The only QB I had ahead of him was Nassib. Wasn't a fan of Barkley and hated Geno. Didn't watch much on Manual but if LJ hates him, that's good enough for me.

In Nick Kasa and Mychal Rivera, we got a nice set of TEs that could end up being a Pitta and Dickson type combo. Also fills a need and good value in the 6th.

Also love Latavius Murray, tremendous value in the 6th for a big and fast durable RB. Also fills a need.

Our last 3 picks are kinda so so, but I'm interested to see what McGee can do and David Bass is an exciting pass rushing prospect out of a small school, but he was dominant and looks like a beast on film.

I would have preferred a different pick other than Brice Butler, especially since we've now signed Vernon. But Reggie has an eye for talent and he may make the team. We got a lot of competition at WR position now.

In any case, we definitely got a shit ton better in this draft.

 

[Draxal]

I had no idea his kid was an assistant at Rutgers. lulz



http://miketanier.sportsonearthblog.com/draft-impressions-all-32-teams/

Except Tanier was wrong, and we've been discussing this for the last 3 days (me/Bigat) and PatsGaf.

He was the backup longsnapper at Rutgers, then a coaching assistant with the Pats. He was never a coach at Rutgers.

The only headscratcher was Harmon. Ryan/Beaurharnais went were they were supposed to be slotted. And Harmon was the one player Rutgers thought was extremely underrated.

The real headscratcher was Cooper by the 49ers but it was a seventh and he had good numbers so whatever.

 

[BlackGhost]

Who is this Shango guy?

 

[Dutch Gronk]

Reading some more about Jamie Collins.

NFL Comparison:

Justin Houston

 

[squicken]

Except Tanier was wrong, and we've been discussing this for the last 3 days (me/Bigat) and PatsGaf.

He was the backup longsnapper at Rutgers, then a coaching assistant with the Pats. He was never a coach at Rutgers.

The only headscratcher was Harmon. Ryan/Beaurharnais went were they were supposed to be slotted. And Harmon was the one player Rutgers thought was extremely underrated.

The real headscratcher was Cooper by the 49ers but it was a seventh and he had good numbers so whatever.

Ah. Guess I missed you guys talk with all the picks coming. Really just now seeing which teams did what. Harmon seems to be the one that it getting universe scorn, but every team has one player who seems like a bad choice. I'm convinced Fisher picked McDonald b/c he knows his dad

 

[Slo]

I think I'd be more worried about the fact that my team wasted a 5th round pick on a punter.

We plan to do a lot of punting!

 

[jakncoke]

We plan to do a lot of punting!

So you needed a spot punter when Kluwe hits a punt quota in the game.

 

[squicken]

We plan to do a lot of punting!

There was some beef between he and the ST coach last year. Spielman wouldn't even commit to Kluwe being in training camp, just that there was "competition". Think he is gone

 

[Slo]

There was some beef between he and the ST coach last year. Spielman wouldn't even commit to Kluwe being in training camp, just that there was "competition". Think he is gone

Yeah, he's out. I think it's comes down to him being an average punter (17th in net yards last year) but an above average loudmouth.

 

[Slo]

So you needed a spot punter when Kluwe hits a punt quota in the game.

Maybe we'll put two punters on the field. Razzle dazzle that punting shit!

 

[Colonel Nasty]

No one picked up greg reid?

 

[Wes]

No offense to you, but lists like this are such horseshit. I would love for someone to go back and evaluate a teams draft choices after the average career length and grade them. Lists like that just make me laugh because there is no real basis of what is good or bad, just Kiper's "expert" opinion which is usually pretty far off.

I don't put much stock to it either but it's something that at least raises discusssion. Plus it's an insider thing and I managed to find it elsewhere so thought I'd post it.

 

[Jason's Ultimatum]

ESPN named the Dolphins only 1 of 3 teams winners of the draft.

I think we're trying to build a young and powerful defense.

 

[The_Darkest_Red]

ESPN named the Dolphins only 1 of 3 teams winners of the draft.

I think we're trying to build a young and powerful defense.

We are so awesome. Total domination this offseason, no way it translates into anything less than 14 wins and a SB appearance.

 

[Jason's Ultimatum]

Clearly. I've heard and read it numerous times in the past that the Dolphins would be destined for greatness in 'x' season, but when the season is over, it's quite the opposite.

 

[The_Darkest_Red]

Clearly. I've heard and read it numerous times in the past that the Dolphins would be destined for greatness in 'x' season, but when the season is over, it's quite the opposite.

Dude, Henne is the answer, just trust me.

 

[ph33nix]

I'm fully expecting Tannehill to regress and for us to have a 5-11 year

It's the Miami Dolphin way

 

[Godslay]

How the players do in the NFL is overrated.

I know you are joking, but what else is there?

I don't put much stock to it either but it's something that at least raises discusssion. Plus it's an insider thing and I managed to find it elsewhere so thought I'd post it.

Sure, I'm not complaining about you posting it or that it was even posted. Thread is fair game obviously. It is raising discussion, which is a good thing. Broncos could have scored an A+, and I would have said the same thing. It's just all bullshit, kind of like mocks anyways. I guess I have a hard time respecting someone's opinion who thought so highly of Jimmy Clausen. Then again it was probably a favor to his agent or something of that nature.

 

[Mackenzie 92]

These grades seem to much more in line with reality than Kiper's

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/story/22139226/grades-2013-nfl-draft-round-1

 

[Futurevoid]

These grades seem to much more in line with reality than Kiper's

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/story/22139226/grades-2013-nfl-draft-round-1

No offense to you but I have the same thoughts on that link as Godslay had about Kipers. Grading drafts the day after is just dumb in general though, IMO.

 

[Mackenzie 92]

No offense to you but I have the same thoughts on that link as Godslay had about Kipers. Grading drafts the day after is just dumb in general though, IMO.

Yeah like I said, I don't put much stock into them either.

 

[Futurevoid]

Yeah like I said, I don't put much stock into them either.

Yeah. Bengals grade for Eifert is a perfect example. A C and he laments the lack of a safety taken because its a supposed need for them? Ok, then.

 

[WedgeX]

These grades seem to much more in line with reality than Kiper's

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/story/22139226/grades-2013-nfl-draft-round-1

Nothing to do with draft grades, but cbs' fantasy grades seems to steer me in the correct direction moreso than others, such as yahoo.

 

[Doorman]

Time for a Lions draft wrap-up! Changes from last year plus new additions! Not including undrafted free agents.

QB: Stafford
WR: Megatron, Burleson, Broyles, Young Sr., about 40 others
RB: Bush, Leshoure, Bell, Riddick
TE: Pettigrew, Scheffler, Williams
RG:Peterman, Warford, Austin, Nagy, Gandy
RT: Cherilus, Hilliard or Fox
C: Raiola
LT: Backus, Reiff
LG: Sims

DE: Avril, vandenBosch, Ansah, Young, Taylor, Lewis, Jones
DT: Suh, Fairley
OLB: Levy, Durant, Palmer, Whitehead
MLB: Tulloch
CB: Houston, Slay, Bentley, Green, Greenwood, Black
FS: Quin, Spievey
SS: Delmas

K: Hanson, Akers, Kickalicious
P: Harris, Clingan, Martin
LS: Muhlbach

Offensive tackle and linebacker are going to be our big downfalls this season. Both Warford and Reiff will need to step in as young lineman and be effective or else the additions to the running game won't make a lick of difference. Slay improves our corner depth slightly...but depth is really not what this team needs out of a second-round pick, not if they have any hopes of actually competing this year. If he's not tangibly better than Bentley or Green, then it's a wasted pick in my mind. Our defensive end group is made up entirely of young "maybe" guys, which makes it so hard to judge. You could say "well with Suh and Fairley on the inside, it should be easy for ends to be impactful!" but that didn't exactly play out last year. Plus if I'm not mistaken we lost Corey Williams as a DT, hurting the depth at that spot as well.

I...I just really don't know. The team doesn't feel any better to me.

 

[AngmarsKing701]

Which was? Too small? I dunno always find a role for someone that kind of speed

Probably can't catch a cold, let alone a football

 

[AngmarsKing701]

No offense to you, but lists like this are such horseshit. I would love for someone to go back and evaluate a teams draft choices after the average career length and grade them. Lists like that just make me laugh because there is no real basis of what is good or bad, just Kiper's "expert" opinion which is usually pretty far off.

I agree with Slay.

Spoiler

Also, Kiper's grade for the Steelers is too high

 

[abolisher6812]

I loved what the Jaguars did in the draft. Their biggest weakness was the secondary and I think they hit a home run with Cyprien. They grabbed 5 defensive backs in all including 2 cornerbacks that are 6'3" and 6'1". The Jaguars also signed quite a few UDFA that will end up making the team. I wouldn't be surprised if Matt Scott ends up starting at QB by the end of the season.

Of course in 2 years I might hate this draft class and calling for Caldwell's head.

 

[Mackenzie 92]

Yeah. Bengals grade for Eifert is a perfect example. A C and he laments the lack of a safety taken because its a supposed need for them? Ok, then.

Yeah he also gave the cowboys pick a B lol seems to emphasize need in his rankings.

Not too sure about giving the Lions an A+ for taking Ziggy either.

Other than those and the Bengals pick, seems to be pretty in line with my thinking.


Speaking of undrafted free agents I really like this safety we signed Dexter McCoil out of Tulsa, huge for a safety and very versatile, good ball skills and likes to hit and great tackler. Gives us some much needed depth at safety.

 

[goldlion054]

Slo, I had 2 Dark Horse Doubke Crooked Tree IPAs from draft last night. Just for you buddy

 

[Plinko]

Baltimore Ravens A-
Cincinnatti Bengals A-
St. Louis Rams A-
San Diego Chargers B+
Green Bay Packers B+
Philadelphia Eagles B+
Jacksonville Jaguars B+
Tennessee Titans B+
Houston Texans B
Kansas City Chiefs B
Tampa Bay Buccaneers B
Arizona Cardinals B
Minnesota Vikings B
Pittsburgh Steelers B
Atlanta Falcons B
San Francisco 49ers B
Seattle Seahawks B
New York Jets B
New Orleans Saints B
Detroit Lions B
Miami Dolphins B-
Denver Broncos B-
Oakland Raiders B-
Cleveland Browns C+
Indianapolis Colts C+
New York Giants C+
New England Patriots C+
Dallas Cowboys C+
Chicago Bears C+
Washington Redskins C+
Carolina Panthers C+
Buffalo Bills C-

Kiper is apparently using the IGN scale of scoring. Nothing below average!

 

[Godslay]

Not to dump on Prisco, I was looking back over some of his evaluations, and he's not that bad. Some hits, some misses, but I loved these gems in terms of 2009.

Not too bad, right about Raji for the most part, but wrong about Clay...

Seattle dodged a bullet...

Still it's just a guessing game at this point. Hard to judge until a these guys careers are over and complete.

 

[Plinko]

Time for a Lions draft wrap-up! Changes from last year plus new additions! Not including undrafted free agents.

QB: Stafford
WR: Megatron, Burleson, Broyles, Young Sr., about 40 others
RB: Bush, Leshoure, Bell, Riddick
TE: Pettigrew, Scheffler, Williams
RG:Peterman, Warford, Austin, Nagy, Gandy
RT: Cherilus, Hilliard or Fox
C: Raiola
LT: Backus, Reiff
LG: Sims

Riddick perhaps makes special teams contributions, including returning punts. Supposedly Bush-like, which leaves the Lions with Bush, Bell, and Riddick all having the same style. The offensive line looks brand new. Warford is supposed to bring far more in the run blocking game than the released Peterman, who was the weakest link of Detroit's offensive line last year. Austin, Nagy and Gandy will all fight for the spot as well, or push Raiola at C. Reiff was drafted as the LT of the future and started there last year in Backus' absence. We of Lions-GAF hoped for Fischer and Reiff being on the team allowing Reiff to take over the RT and having a solid inside line, but we'll now have to settle for Hilliard, a long-time backup, or Fox, oft-injured, taking over at RT. The offensive line might be bolstered by the addition of Michael Williams at TE, who will replace the Lions former blocking TE Will Heller. I know Drew Sharp of the Detroit Free Press is sad about the Lions missing out on Denard Robinson...but I don't think he or doctors have proven that he'll be able to catch or hold onto a football.

DE: Avril, vandenBosch, Ansah, Young, Taylor, Lewis, Jones
DT: Suh, Fairley
OLB: Levy, Durant, Palmer, Whitehead
MLB: Tulloch
CB: Houston, Slay, Bentley, Green, Greenwood, Black
FS: Quin, Spievey
SS: Delmas

The Lions are replacing Avril who still believes he is the best DE in the NFL and vandenBosch who got real old. Thus the DEs are brand new with Ansah projected to be a project by projectionists. Young had a let down after being super efficient the year before, and Taylor was taken for his size and pass rushing skills. The interior remains the same, as do the linebackers aside from the departure of Durant. The Lions return starter Houston at CB, plus three second year CBs. The addition of Slay creates lots of competition for the second starting spot, perhaps bolstering the Lions nickle spot as well as depth chart. A first in nearly a decade. Spievey has been up and down since converting to Safety from CB. He was on the up and up until a concussion against the Saints in the playoffs and hasn't seemed to recover. Quin shores that spot up next to Delmas, provided Delmas can stay healthy for more than five games.

K: Hanson, Akers, Kickalicious
P: Harris, Clingan, Martin
LS: Muhlbach

The Lions apparently want none of their new specialists to feel like the job has been handed to them, taking on two new players in each position.

That linebacking crew SUCKS. How they didn't address that is beyond me. Also, that OL needs help. Menelik Watson in round 2 was a total no-brainer and they passed on him. I agree with Doorman--I don't see how this team is any better with two DEs who may turn out to be total busts and an offensive line made up of young guys, castoffs, and the worst veteran center in the league.

 

[squicken]

Everyone knows you can't grade a draft for awhile, yet everyone reads those columns. They are just part of the fun. And lol at Kiper giving everyone a good grade, except the Bills for some reason. Maybe he doesn't like Manuel, but there were worse drafts

 

[Mackenzie 92]

Hahaha fucking Kiper says LB Sio Moore was a round 1 talent yet still gives us a B-

 

[LJ11]

http://www.footballoutsiders.com/stat-analysis/2013/playmaker-score-2013

I'll be honest I never really got the Tavon Austin love (although I wouldn't have minded if the Jets drafted him because it gives me a reason to watch). He's a ridiculously undersized receiver whose playmaking ability has been overstated, at least it wasn't showing up in college to the point to merit a top 10 selection. History is definitely not on his side.

Damn, guess AJ Green should wrap it the fuck up and call it a career.

Your main argument should be TDs come in the redzone, taller/bigger receivers usually get the targets even if they're garbage, so he won't have as many opportunities. Not the Playmaker or Sackseer, or whatever other garbage they're peddling this year. Still waiting for Ryan Matthews to be the rare back their metrics predicted, or Maybin to post 50 sacks.

FO has gotten better because they actually got writers, their predictive metrics are still all over the place, almost useless.

 

[Milchjon]

Watching the Top 100, I miss old Polamalu. The only Steeler I can't hate.

 

[JaxJag]

First Jags draft I've felt good about in a good half of a decade or so.

 

[squicken]

Damn, guess AJ Green should wrap it the fuck up and call it a career.

Your main argument should be TDs come in the redzone, taller/bigger receivers usually get the targets even if they're garbage, so he won't have as many opportunities. Not the Playmaker or Sackseer, or whatever other garbage they're peddling this year. Still waiting for Ryan Matthews to be the rare back their metrics predicted, or Maybin to post 50 sacks.

It took a guy as sharp as Holgo awhile to properly use Austin. Putting him in the backfield vs OU was sublime, but not something that can be done in the NFL for any extended period of time. I have no doubt that Austin can make it in the NFL, but Schotty will have to step out of his comfort zone and find ways to get him the ball

 

[truly101]

I think the Saints draft was really solid given their needs and the value of each pick.
Kenny Vaccaro isnt great in pass coverage but hes a solid tackler and rusher and thats more what we need since the Saints plan to blitz like fucking crazy. Also the lineman on both sides seem rather solid and fit our schemes well, and we got a slippery wide receiver similar to Lance Moore. Overall it was a great job by Loomis and Co considering that we lost a second rounder because of the bountygate bullshit.
Im very happy with it.

I really pleased with the Saints draft. Reddick could be a steal.

 

[XiaNaphryz]

Nate Montana gets invite to 49ers mini-camp:

Duron Carter will get an opportunity with his father's Minnesota Vikings, so it only makes sense that the undrafted son of Football Hall of Famer Joe Montana is bound for the San Francisco 49ers.

Matt Barrows of The Sacramento Bee reported Sunday that the 49ers have invited Nate Montana to attend their upcoming rookie minicamp, according to the quarterback's agent. Montana, 23, put forth a positive showing at the team's local pro day earlier this month.

Like Duron, the pass-catching son of receiver Cris Carter, Nate is a stretch to make an NFL roster.

"It's going to be hard for him to transition to the next level," NFL.com's Bucky Brooks told Around the League before the draft. "His passes don't have zip. He has difficulty making pro throws."

Montana's wandering four-stop college experience saw him flame out at Notre Dame before landing with Division II West Virginia Wesleyan College, where he topped the conference with 2,480 passing yards and 19 touchdowns in 2012.

Some of the juiciest storylines out of the 2013 NFL Draft come from the crop of free agents plucked up afterward. Montana latching on with the 49ers only would deepen the mythology of the Montana family in the Bay Area, but reality makes this a long shot.

 

[cajunator]

Who is this Shango guy?

Shango is a great fan. He is very knowledgeable about not only his cowboys, but the rest of the league. He is very emotionally involved and bleeds for the star. He doesn't bandwagon and tells it like it is even when its ugly.

If you research thedallascowboyshow on youtube you will immediately see his videos and what Im talking about. He is diehard but he is respectful. So much respect for the dude.

 

[WedgeX]

Offensive tackle and linebacker are going to be our big downfalls this season. Both Warford and Reiff will need to step in as young lineman and be effective or else the additions to the running game won't make a lick of difference. Slay improves our corner depth slightly...but depth is really not what this team needs out of a second-round pick, not if they have any hopes of actually competing this year. If he's not tangibly better than Bentley or Green, then it's a wasted pick in my mind. Our defensive end group is made up entirely of young "maybe" guys, which makes it so hard to judge. You could say "well with Suh and Fairley on the inside, it should be easy for ends to be impactful!" but that didn't exactly play out last year. Plus if I'm not mistaken we lost Corey Williams as a DT, hurting the depth at that spot as well.

I...I just really don't know. The team doesn't feel any better to me.

That linebacking crew SUCKS. How they didn't address that is beyond me. Also, that OL needs help. Menelik Watson in round 2 was a total no-brainer and they passed on him. I agree with Doorman--I don't see how this team is any better with two DEs who may turn out to be total busts and an offensive line made up of young guys, castoffs, and the worst veteran center in the league.

I feel good, at the moment, about the left side of the offensive line. Reiff plus Sims should be solid. Reiff did good work as a sixth blocker, and did okay on Thanksgiving with only a day or two of practice at LT. Peterman was terrible and Warford should be an upgrade. RT however...I don't see Hilliard or Fox really making a breakthrough. Except letting others breakthrough the line. I can see the new TE being used to help out there a lot.

I still feel like the Lions should have let Levy go, or traded him to a team looking for a serviceable MLB. He played much better there than the outside, and Durant was the better OLB. No idea if Palmer or Whitehead does well this year.